Ask HN: Why do YC-backed companies post anonymous job postings?

15 points·waterside81··5 comments

More often than not, YC-backed companies early in their life cycle post jobs with throwaway accounts and gmail accounts. Why? What harm would come from saying "We're company X and we do so-and-so and we're looking for Django folks etc"?

Is there some strategic element at play in not divulging info up front?

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From the last few times this came up, these companies have not announced that they have been funded by YC and when they do it will probably make TechCrunch. They want that coverage when they have something to show, not just a hiring now page.

This allows the companies to control their own PR rather than let the media control the PR for them. A smart move and one that is recommended by YC.

While most of the time people overvalue secrecy, if you're entering a market where a competitor could quickly move in on your target market and make your entrance more difficult there are definite reasons for keeping quiet.Also if your launch strategy hinges on a unified PR campaign you need to keep everything below the radar.

Im thinking I agree with you. Startup founder here preparing for a secret launch for number of reasons. 1 to gain most market share right away. 2 our idea is easy to imitate. Do you have any consulting with bringing a working product to a VC without testing the market?

It's really hard. You need to have a personal relationship or well-known brand for a VC to invest in a product without any market data. There are ways to get stealth data, you can mask the product or give targeted beta codes to users that will pay. Depending on the product/cost you really don't need that many paying customers to provide proof of concept. Free sites it's nearly impossible, they will want to see traction.

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